I appreciate all the information you provide. I am a 30 year old male. It is my understanding from the blog that you believe Propecia to be the most effective pharmaceutical treatment option for hair loss. What advice would you give to a patient who has islet-cell antibodies present in their system? In other words, how would you characterize the risk that taking Propecia would prompt an auto-immune response by the body, thus causing an attack on the pancreas leading to Type I diabetes?

Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar) is a DHT type 2 receptor blocker which does not have any association with the pancreas, therefore I would expect that it should not lead to Type I diabetes. The drug company (Merck) would have recognized any such association if it would have been detected and considering the number of diabetics in the general population, I would expect that such an association (if it existed) would have been reported. Finasteride was originally developed for benign prostatic hypertrophy (which affects the prostate). If you are experiencing genetic androgenic hair loss (male pattern hair loss) Propecia may be a consideration. Propecia, as you probably know, is a prescription medication, so discuss these concerns with your prescribing doctor before taking it.

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